MONROE, Conn. — Police remind residents to be wary of car thieves and to lock their doors and not leave valuables inside. Last week there were two incidents involving someone trying to enter vehicles in driveways, though nothing was stolen and there were no reports of property damage.
At approximately 11:12 p.m. Wednesday, a Josies Ring Road woman told police a dark colored sedan or SUV pulled up and a man in a blue hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and light shoes got out and attempted to enter her vehicle, before leaving the scene, heading west.
Then on Thursday morning, a woman living on Whispering Pine Road told officers she had video surveillance from the night before, showing someone in a hoodie walking down her driveway in an attempt to enter vehicles.
However, a talking Ring camera scared him off, police said, adding the surveillance video did not contain any identifying information.
Not falling for a phone scam
A Monroe man in his 70s told police someone pretending to be a Hartford police officer called to inform him that his son was involved in a motor vehicle accident, was being held in county jail and needed $9,000 for bail, according to a report filed Thursday.
The caller reportedly told the father to withdraw the money and call a certain phone number for the money drop-off address.
But police said he did not provide any personal information to the caller. He hung up the phone and called his son, who lives in New York, and learned he was okay, confirming the call was a scam.
“We remind people that scams like this oftentimes target the elderly,” Monroe Police Lt. Kevin McKellick said Friday. “They have various different stories that all have to do with needing money transferred or given to them immediately. They pressure you with a fast paced script and they try to keep you on the phone to follow their directions, rather than think for yourself. They feed on your emotions.”
Referring to the Monroe resident, McKellick said, “this complainant did the right thing: hang up the phone and call the person allegedly in peril to confirm their well being.”
Car fire on Barn Hill Road
Monroe Volunteer Firefighters extinguished a car fire in the 200-block of Barn Hill Road on Nov. 16.
Police, who received the call at 12:22 p.m., said the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames from an engine fire. The incident was referred to the fire department.
In a post on their Facebook page, the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department said there were no injuries nor any damage to the house nearby.
Tree falls on home
High winds toppled a large tree onto a house and a vehicle in the 800-block of Main Street last Sunday evening.
“When we arrived, residents already evacuated the house and there were no reported injuries,” Lt. McKellick said.
The building inspector and firefighters also responded to the incident, which occurred around 6 p.m.
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In your article about the scam caller, you fail to mention if there is a contact or phone number for the authorities that citizens should call to report the scam caller, especially if there is some rendezvous number or location for a money drop off. Perhaps there are too many scam callers too follow up with?